January 5, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fasting is where you say no to you in order
to hear yes from God.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Doctor Tony Evans reveals how a physical fast and unlock
of spiritual breakthrough.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
It is renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Doctor Evans believes
that one of the best ways to satisfy your spiritual
appetite is to sometimes say no to your physical one.
Today we begin a collection of messages that take a
look at the subject of fasting through the lens of scripture.
(00:40):
Let's hear from doctor Evans.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
The true story. It's told of two lumberjacks.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
One was older, the other one was younger, and the
younger one had gotten somewhat proud of the fact that
he could cut down tree at a pretty fast rate.
And even though the old alump jack was known for
his speed, he now felt that he had the wherewithal
to challenge him to a tree cutting contest. So he
(01:09):
challenged him who could cut down the most trees in
one day. Well, they began, and the young man, with
all of his bim bigger and vitality went at it,
and he chopped down one tree after another tree, and
he wouldn't stop.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
He went non stop all day long.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
He knew that it looked pretty good for him when
he noticed that the older lumberjack would only trop trees
down for one hour and then take a fifteen minute rest,
chop another hour, then another fifteen minute break. But when
the end of the day came, the older lumberjack had
(01:54):
chopped down one third more trees than the younger lumberjack.
Somewhat woofed, didn't put off. He went over to the
old statesmen of forestry and said, how in the world
could you, taking fifteen minute breaks after every hour of cutting,
(02:17):
cut down more.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Trees than I could, going none stop all day long.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
The older gentleman looked at him and said, because when
I stopped cutting and sat down, I sharpened my axe.
A lot of us been working hard to do right,
but with dull axes, and wonder why the tree's unfallen.
(02:49):
We've made resolutions last year, After two months, the axe
got dull and the trees stopped falling. Sometimes you can
look at somebody who doesn't seem to.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Be trying half as hard as you are.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
But moving much further in their spiritual life than you are.
And you're going to church and serving and running here
and doing this and that, and you wonder why they're progressing,
Why only seem to be chopping down a few spiritual trees.
Maybe they've taken the time out to shopen their axes.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
You see, that's what fasting in prayer is all about.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
It is about sharpening the acts of the inner man
so that we are able to move through what I
call the gateway.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
To spiritual victory.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Jesus told the disciples, this mountain can only be removed
by fasting in prayer. Jesus said, this mountain can only
be removed, This circumstance can only be overcome, This tragedy
can only be reversed by prayer and fast.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Since you can't go to Jesus physically right now and.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Sit down with him and have a verbal conversation, physical
face to physical face, God says that there is a
way you can make a special link with Him when
you need him, and he says, and they will fast.
Fasting is the way that gets through the gateway to
(04:24):
get to God in the crises of life. So let
me say four things today about fasting. First of all,
let me review with you the principle of fasting.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
In the Bible.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Fasting occurred during the burdens of life that demanded.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
A spiritual breakthrough. Let me say that again. In the Bible,
fasting occurred when.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
There was the need for a spiritual breakthrough due to
the burdens of life. It could be emotional burdens, circumstantial burdens,
relationship burdens, ministerial burdens, burdens which direction you should take
in life. Fasting was the way that the saint of
God got to breakthrough to help direct them or to
(05:09):
help them deal with a crisis in their lives. So
with no small thing, what is fasting. Fasting is a
deliberate it's intentional abstinence from physical gratification in order to
achieve a spiritual goal. It is a denial of the
flesh in order to gain a response from the spirit.
(05:32):
It is renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.
So fasting is where you say no to you in
order to hear yes from God. It was the way
by which God's presence would be invoked in the midst
(05:52):
of a difficult situation. Turn your bibles to Zachariah chapter seven,
next to the last book of the Old Testament, Zachary
chapter seven. And let me read two key verses, verse
five and six. Say to all the people of the
land and to the priest, when you fasted and mourn
in the fifth and the seven months these seventy years?
(06:16):
Was it actually for me that you fasted?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Verse six?
Speaker 1 (06:21):
And when you eat and drink, do you not eat
and drink for yourselves? And do you not eat for yourselves?
And do you not drink for yourselves?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Now follow this.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
When you eat after church today, who will you be
eating for?
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Nobody but you. I can guarantee you you do not eat.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
With me in mind. And I can guarantee you I
don't eat with you and mind. But he says in Zachariah,
when you fast, that is for me.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
When you eat, that's for you. But when you give
up food, you.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Get my attention, just like you get your attention when
you eat food. What food does for you, fasting does
for me. So the reason that you get God's attention
and fasting like nothing else is you place the inner
man as more important than the outer man. You've said,
(07:26):
more important than my belly in my body is my
broken spirit, in my broken soul. So it's more important
that I feed God, that is my relationship with Him,
than I feed myself.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
It is a choice of what comes first.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
It is a matter of priority that gets God's attention
about fasting.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Here's the question. The question in fasting is simply this.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Are you willing to give up steak and potatoes to
gain spiritual riches? Are you willing to give up that
which gratifies the flesh in order to make an investment
in that which builds up the spirit. It is a
test of how serious you are. Secondly, the purpose of fasting.
(08:14):
If you look with me very quickly at Isaiah chapter
fifty eight, which is the longest most comprehensive passage on
fasting in the whole Bible, cry aloud, do not hold back.
Verse one says, raise your voice like a trumpet, and
declare to my people their transgression into the House of Jacob,
their sins. Yet they seek me day by day and
(08:37):
delight to know my ways of the nation that does
righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinances of their God.
They ask me for just decisions. They delight in the
nearness of God. Why have we fasted, and thou dost
not see.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Behold, on the day of your fast, you find your
desire and drive hard.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
All your workers, now watch this.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Behold you fast for contention, strife, and to strike with
a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do
today to make your voice heard?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
On how at least a third point the practice of
the fast? Well, what do I do?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Look at saw, I'm sixty nine, So I'm sixty nine.
I like this verse ten. When I wept in my
soul with fasting. Fast thing is when your soul cries.
It is an intentional abstinence related to a burden of
(09:40):
a soul. When I wept in my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach. And when I made sackcloth with clothing,
I became a byword to them. In other words, people
made fun of me, those who sit in the gates.
They talked about me. Look at that fool fasting, not eating,
like that's gonna do him some good. And I am
(10:02):
the song of drunkens. Drunk people are singing about me
in jest. Oh, but look at verse thirteen. But as
for me, my prayer, because fasting always went with prayer.
My prayer is to thee Oh Lord, I'm not talking
to them.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I'm talking to you at an acceptable time.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Oh God, and the greatness of thy loving kindness, answer
me with thy saving truth, delivering me from the mire,
and do not let me sink. May I be delivered
from my foes. May the floods of water not overflow me,
May the deep not swallow me up, and may the
pit not shut his mouth on me.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
My world is closing, and.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Anybody ever felt like that, But your world is closing in.
What you need is to hear from God. You need
to hear from God, and that's what he says. He says, Now,
I came before you in fasting, and when I came
before you, I told you that my world is closing
on me. It is where you go before God because
you desperately need Him to come through. And when you
(10:58):
desperately need Him to come through rule the Bible says,
you go to him in prayer.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Doctor Evans will reveal how fasting and prayer can transform
despair into hope when he returns in just a moment. First, though,
I want to let you know that the lesson we're
hearing today is part of an enlightening series exploring what
the Bible has to say about fasting. The complete collection
of all fourteen full length messages in this two volume
(11:24):
series on fasting is available as our thank you gift
to those who make a contribution to help support the
ministry of the Alternative. This offer is only available for
a limited time, so visit us right away at Tonyevans
dot org to request your copy of Fasting the Key
to Spiritual Victory. You'll receive all fourteen audio messages on
(11:46):
CD or digital download, along with an extra bonus our
Cultivating a Year of Kindness perpetual flip calendar featuring daily prompts, prayers, scriptures,
and words from doctor Evans that'll help you develop a
passion for the simple fruit of the spirit kindness. Visit
us at Tonyevans dot org before this limited time offer
(12:08):
runs out, or call one eight hundred eight hundred thirty
two twenty two to get some in person help from
our resource team. I'll have our contact information for you
again after part two of today's lesson and this it.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Was my first time meeting Jesus in the Bible. That's
what one student is saying after studying bibliology through the
Tonyevans Training Center talk by renowned theologian doctor Tony Evans.
These online courses feature compelling and exclusive video and audio teaching,
plus an interactive scripture based curriculum. You can access online
(12:44):
or through the mobile app. Sign up now at Tonyevans
Training dot org. Take a course with doctor Evans and
explore the Kingdom anytime, anywhere Tonyevans Training dot org.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Look at Joel two where he brings up this this
whole concept of fasting in prayer and how we are
to relate to God verse twelve, and even now declares
the Lord return to me with all your heart and
with fasting, weeping and mourning. It's a very serious time.
(13:19):
And rent your heart, not your garments, and return to
the Lord. For he is gracious and compassion. And watch
this compassion is slow to anger, abounding and loving kindness,
relenting of evil. He's ready to change negative to positive
at a moment's notice. Who knows whether he will turn
and relent and leave a blessing behind. He will not
only turn things around, he'll leaves some extra behind, he says,
(13:42):
and verse fifteen below the trumpet and Zion consecrate a fast, proclaim,
a solemn assembly, a very serious gathering of God's people
to get God's attention. The question is how bad do
you want it? How bad do you want it? How
(14:02):
bad do you want deliverance from alcoholism? How bad do
you want deliverance from drugs? How bad do you want
to save your marriage? Do you want it bad enough
to give up dinner? Do you want it bad enough
to give up other gratifications? Do you want it bad
enough to throw yourself flush before God and say I can't?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
You must?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
And when I began to look at all the scriptures
that talked about what happened when people fasted, I saw
that this is not some little extraditty that you do.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
This is a powerful thing when your world.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Is closing in. And so it's prayer, it's praise, it's proclamation,
it's hearing God's word.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
So what can I expect if I fast?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
If I develop this as my response mechanism to crisis? Well,
let's finally again look at Isaiah fifty eight, and he says,
in closing these words verse six, is it not the
fast which I choose to watch? This? I said at
fifty eighty six, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to
(15:11):
undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the
oppress go free, and to break every yoke, every addiction,
every oppression.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Stuff you can't shake, he says. Is this not why
you fast?
Speaker 1 (15:28):
That I might break the stuff that you haven't broken yet,
That I might deliver you from the stuff that nobody
has been able to help you to be delivered from.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Have you tried me this way? He says.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
If you haven't tried this, you haven't been to the
right program yet.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I am the program. Look, I'm gonna save some of
you some money this.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Week, because when God breaks through and it doesn't cost
you anything, you know it's God freedom from bundan captivity.
And so many of us are being held captive by
things or other people or circumstances. We're just locked in
(16:09):
and we live with spiritual handcuffs on praising the Lord.
Some of us can't raise their hands come of by handcuffs.
We're handcuffed. And we know that when we walk out
of church, we're going straight for that addiction, straight for
that bond. Is because because Satan has got handcuffs on
Satan owns. He knows when we wake up in the morning.
(16:31):
All they got to do is bring the thought across
our minds, and he got bang, bang, Wow. Some of
us can't dance because we got bonds on our feet
and we can't walk, We can't move, We can't praise
him right because Satan, as soon as we wake up
in the morning, he brings that thought to our minds
and he locks our feet down, chains around our minds.
(16:54):
The Bible calls them strongholds where God holds you oppressed
in your mind, and you get up depressed, can hardly.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Get out of bed.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Because Sayan has got a vice scrip around your mind.
God says, have you fasted yet? He says, is this
not why you fast? That you might be loose from
all of this?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Verse seven?
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
and to bring the homeless pour into the house, And
when you see the neked, to cover him, and not
to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
This is deep. Look, you can't.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Divide your bread unless you have bread to divide, right.
You can't bring homeless into the house unless you have house.
You can't clothe the necket unless you have clothing to
give them, and I like this last one. And not
to hide yourself from your own flesh. Some of you
running from your own family. Don't want to see your
(17:48):
own people. Can't stand and look at each other, can't
stand and live with each other. Don't want these kids
to come home, don't want your husband to come home.
To hide yourself from your own flesh, he says. Have
you fast, he said, because if you're fast, I can
bless your business so that you have bread the shell.
I can get you a nicer home so that you
have a homeless shell. Please notice he's only interested in
(18:10):
blessing you if you're going to be a conduit to
others and you're not just gonna keep it all for yourself.
He'd not mind blessing you as long as he can
even use the blessing. But if he blesses you and
he can't touch it, and none of God's people can
touch it, it can never be available to the Kingdom
of God. Then that's not the fast he's interested in.
Since is it not to change your circumstances so you
(18:33):
can help others, and to give you a better environment
so that you don't have to hide from your own
relevance verse eight. And then your light will break out
like the dawn.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Oh, I like this.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Then the butterfly will come out of the cocoon of
the caterpillar. Then all this stuff God gave you. See,
we've been giving all these prugial resources. We've been seated
in heavenly places and we don't even know where the
chair is. We've been positioned next to Jesus Christ and
we don't know where to Why all that is, you
know why? Because this light has been stuffled in the flesh.
(19:05):
The flesh are so dominant the light doesn't break through.
But he says, you starve the flesh. What happens when
you starve the flesh? You shrink, right, you shrink. Flesh
gets weak. I'm gonna tell you now, if you're going faster,
especially if you're faster more than.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
One meal, you gonna get weak. And that's wonderful. Why
is it wonderful to get weak? Because now the flesh
can't buck up like it used to. See.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
See, when you keep the flesh straw, it can buck off.
And every time the spirit says, let's go serve God,
flesh say we ain't going nowhere. I'm running this show
I'm in charge here.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Let's eat.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
But once the flesh starts to get weak, and you
can't move fast as you normally move.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
And you can't you can't act.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
The spirits are gonna say, let's break out of here,
and the flesh gonna say, I can't stop him. I'm
too weak. For in our weakness, we are strong. Paul says.
When we become weak, then we become strong because now
we're fee the spirit. The flesh is getting weaker.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
That's a good.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Thing because it can't resist you as strongly, and your
recovery will speedily come forth. Somebody need healing. You know
why some of us are not getting body healing because
we have two weak souls, and a lot of our
bodily problems are related to weakness of soul, he said.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
Strengthen your soul, and your healing.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Will spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you.
You'll get back your testimony and not like Versus in
the verse eight. And the glory of the Lord will
be your rear. God, I will protect you. I'll cover
your back, your rear God, that's your back. I have
your back. And everybody wants somebody covering their back. God says, I.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Got your back.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
I got your back at work, I got your back
at home, I got your back at play, I got
your back.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
You mean I can get all this from fasting, yep.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Or if he doesn't give you that, he gives you
something better than that. The bottom line is verse nine.
Then you will call, and the Lord lands that's.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
The bottom line. Then you will call.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
You say, but I've been calling all the time, but
not with the fast and if it's a crisis, God
wants to be treated seriously. Since nineteen thirty seven, planes
have been pressurized so that they can fly above the clouds.
It is this pressure that allows them to go up
(21:28):
thirty and thirty five thousand feet and you still survive.
You see, Before then they had to fly low underneath
the clouds so that they would still be in the
atmosphere so.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
That we could breathe. But once they pressurize the planes,
the planes.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Could go higher and higher and higher because the inside
of the plane is pressurized and holds the oxygen, so
we can keep breathing.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Even up there where the air is thin.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
You ain't praying with me. Listen when you start this
fastening prayer, I'm gonna tell you. What's gonna happen That
Satan and all of his menion is gonna line up
at cloud level and gonna keep you, try to keep
you below the clouds. They gonna say, let's not mean,
let's make sure that they don't get high. Let's make
sure that they don't get up here close to the
throne of God. He's gonna do everything he can to
(22:22):
keep you below the cloud level.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
But if you.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Fast and throw yourself on the mercy of God, you're
gonna break the clouds. You say, but how cannot make
it up there? Because when you're fast, he pressurizes your
soul so you can make it up there in heavenly
places where God's blessings are, where God's power is. For
you have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings, but
they're located above the clouds that are located in heavenly places.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Don't let Satan keep you on the ground.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It's time to fly by pressurizing the soul so that
the flesh is now under your control and you're not
under its.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Doctor Tony Evans with a biblical examination today on the
importance of fasting. Now. As I mentioned earlier, Today's lesson
is the first installment in a series called Fasting the
Key to Spiritual Victory and Don't Forget. For a limited time,
we're offering the full length version of all fourteen lessons
in this series on CD or digital download, along with
(23:27):
our Cultivating a Year of Kindness perpetual flip calendar that'll
help challenge and inspire you to practice a life of
contagious kindness. They're both yours as our thank you gift
when you make a donation to help us continue this
ministry to a world desperately in need of more Kingdom believers,
people who embrace the love of God and live their
(23:49):
lives for good, not just for their own benefit. Call
us to make arrangements at one eight hundred eight hundred
thirty two twenty two. Our resource center never closes, so
you can call us any time of the day or night.
That's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two,
Or visit Tonyevans dot org to take advantage of this
(24:10):
special package. You'll find the details right on the homepage. Again,
that's Tonyevans dot org. Most of us understand that God
has the power to deliver us, but when we're caught
in a difficult situation or circumstance, we sometimes wonder if
he'll actually do it, be sure to join us next time.
(24:31):
As doctor Evans talks about how we can grow our
faith to fully trust in God's deliverance,
Fasting is where you say no to you in order
to hear yes from God.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Doctor Tony Evans reveals how a physical fast and unlock
of spiritual breakthrough.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
It is renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Doctor Evans believes
that one of the best ways to satisfy your spiritual
appetite is to sometimes say no to your physical one.
Today we begin a collection of messages that take a
look at the subject of fasting through the lens of scripture.
(00:40):
Let's hear from doctor Evans.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
The true story. It's told of two lumberjacks.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
One was older, the other one was younger, and the
younger one had gotten somewhat proud of the fact that
he could cut down tree at a pretty fast rate.
And even though the old alump jack was known for
his speed, he now felt that he had the wherewithal
to challenge him to a tree cutting contest. So he
(01:09):
challenged him who could cut down the most trees in
one day. Well, they began, and the young man, with
all of his bim bigger and vitality went at it,
and he chopped down one tree after another tree, and
he wouldn't stop.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
He went non stop all day long.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
He knew that it looked pretty good for him when
he noticed that the older lumberjack would only trop trees
down for one hour and then take a fifteen minute rest,
chop another hour, then another fifteen minute break. But when
the end of the day came, the older lumberjack had
(01:54):
chopped down one third more trees than the younger lumberjack.
Somewhat woofed, didn't put off. He went over to the
old statesmen of forestry and said, how in the world
could you, taking fifteen minute breaks after every hour of cutting,
(02:17):
cut down more.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Trees than I could, going none stop all day long.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
The older gentleman looked at him and said, because when
I stopped cutting and sat down, I sharpened my axe.
A lot of us been working hard to do right,
but with dull axes, and wonder why the tree's unfallen.
(02:49):
We've made resolutions last year, After two months, the axe
got dull and the trees stopped falling. Sometimes you can
look at somebody who doesn't seem to.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Be trying half as hard as you are.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
But moving much further in their spiritual life than you are.
And you're going to church and serving and running here
and doing this and that, and you wonder why they're progressing,
Why only seem to be chopping down a few spiritual trees.
Maybe they've taken the time out to shopen their axes.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
You see, that's what fasting in prayer is all about.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
It is about sharpening the acts of the inner man
so that we are able to move through what I
call the gateway.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
To spiritual victory.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Jesus told the disciples, this mountain can only be removed
by fasting in prayer. Jesus said, this mountain can only
be removed, This circumstance can only be overcome, This tragedy
can only be reversed by prayer and fast.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Since you can't go to Jesus physically right now and.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Sit down with him and have a verbal conversation, physical
face to physical face, God says that there is a
way you can make a special link with Him when
you need him, and he says, and they will fast.
Fasting is the way that gets through the gateway to
(04:24):
get to God in the crises of life. So let
me say four things today about fasting. First of all,
let me review with you the principle of fasting.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
In the Bible.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Fasting occurred during the burdens of life that demanded.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
A spiritual breakthrough. Let me say that again. In the Bible,
fasting occurred when.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
There was the need for a spiritual breakthrough due to
the burdens of life. It could be emotional burdens, circumstantial burdens,
relationship burdens, ministerial burdens, burdens which direction you should take
in life. Fasting was the way that the saint of
God got to breakthrough to help direct them or to
(05:09):
help them deal with a crisis in their lives. So
with no small thing, what is fasting. Fasting is a
deliberate it's intentional abstinence from physical gratification in order to
achieve a spiritual goal. It is a denial of the
flesh in order to gain a response from the spirit.
(05:32):
It is renouncing the natural in order to invoke the supernatural.
So fasting is where you say no to you in
order to hear yes from God. It was the way
by which God's presence would be invoked in the midst
(05:52):
of a difficult situation. Turn your bibles to Zachariah chapter seven,
next to the last book of the Old Testament, Zachary
chapter seven. And let me read two key verses, verse
five and six. Say to all the people of the
land and to the priest, when you fasted and mourn
in the fifth and the seven months these seventy years?
(06:16):
Was it actually for me that you fasted?
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Verse six?
Speaker 1 (06:21):
And when you eat and drink, do you not eat
and drink for yourselves? And do you not eat for yourselves?
And do you not drink for yourselves?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Now follow this.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
When you eat after church today, who will you be
eating for?
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Nobody but you. I can guarantee you you do not eat.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
With me in mind. And I can guarantee you I
don't eat with you and mind. But he says in Zachariah,
when you fast, that is for me.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
When you eat, that's for you. But when you give
up food, you.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Get my attention, just like you get your attention when
you eat food. What food does for you, fasting does
for me. So the reason that you get God's attention
and fasting like nothing else is you place the inner
man as more important than the outer man. You've said,
(07:26):
more important than my belly in my body is my
broken spirit, in my broken soul. So it's more important
that I feed God, that is my relationship with Him,
than I feed myself.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
It is a choice of what comes first.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
It is a matter of priority that gets God's attention
about fasting.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Here's the question. The question in fasting is simply this.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Are you willing to give up steak and potatoes to
gain spiritual riches? Are you willing to give up that
which gratifies the flesh in order to make an investment
in that which builds up the spirit. It is a
test of how serious you are. Secondly, the purpose of fasting.
(08:14):
If you look with me very quickly at Isaiah chapter
fifty eight, which is the longest most comprehensive passage on
fasting in the whole Bible, cry aloud, do not hold back.
Verse one says, raise your voice like a trumpet, and
declare to my people their transgression into the House of Jacob,
their sins. Yet they seek me day by day and
(08:37):
delight to know my ways of the nation that does
righteousness and has not forsaken the ordinances of their God.
They ask me for just decisions. They delight in the
nearness of God. Why have we fasted, and thou dost
not see.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Behold, on the day of your fast, you find your
desire and drive hard.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
All your workers, now watch this.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Behold you fast for contention, strife, and to strike with
a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do
today to make your voice heard?
Speaker 3 (09:12):
On how at least a third point the practice of
the fast? Well, what do I do?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Look at saw, I'm sixty nine, So I'm sixty nine.
I like this verse ten. When I wept in my
soul with fasting. Fast thing is when your soul cries.
It is an intentional abstinence related to a burden of
(09:40):
a soul. When I wept in my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach. And when I made sackcloth with clothing,
I became a byword to them. In other words, people
made fun of me, those who sit in the gates.
They talked about me. Look at that fool fasting, not eating,
like that's gonna do him some good. And I am
(10:02):
the song of drunkens. Drunk people are singing about me
in jest. Oh, but look at verse thirteen. But as
for me, my prayer, because fasting always went with prayer.
My prayer is to thee Oh Lord, I'm not talking
to them.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I'm talking to you at an acceptable time.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Oh God, and the greatness of thy loving kindness, answer
me with thy saving truth, delivering me from the mire,
and do not let me sink. May I be delivered
from my foes. May the floods of water not overflow me,
May the deep not swallow me up, and may the
pit not shut his mouth on me.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
My world is closing, and.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Anybody ever felt like that, But your world is closing in.
What you need is to hear from God. You need
to hear from God, and that's what he says. He says, Now,
I came before you in fasting, and when I came
before you, I told you that my world is closing
on me. It is where you go before God because
you desperately need Him to come through. And when you
(10:58):
desperately need Him to come through rule the Bible says,
you go to him in prayer.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Doctor Evans will reveal how fasting and prayer can transform
despair into hope when he returns in just a moment. First, though,
I want to let you know that the lesson we're
hearing today is part of an enlightening series exploring what
the Bible has to say about fasting. The complete collection
of all fourteen full length messages in this two volume
(11:24):
series on fasting is available as our thank you gift
to those who make a contribution to help support the
ministry of the Alternative. This offer is only available for
a limited time, so visit us right away at Tonyevans
dot org to request your copy of Fasting the Key
to Spiritual Victory. You'll receive all fourteen audio messages on
(11:46):
CD or digital download, along with an extra bonus our
Cultivating a Year of Kindness perpetual flip calendar featuring daily prompts, prayers, scriptures,
and words from doctor Evans that'll help you develop a
passion for the simple fruit of the spirit kindness. Visit
us at Tonyevans dot org before this limited time offer
(12:08):
runs out, or call one eight hundred eight hundred thirty
two twenty two to get some in person help from
our resource team. I'll have our contact information for you
again after part two of today's lesson and this it.
Speaker 4 (12:23):
Was my first time meeting Jesus in the Bible. That's
what one student is saying after studying bibliology through the
Tonyevans Training Center talk by renowned theologian doctor Tony Evans.
These online courses feature compelling and exclusive video and audio teaching,
plus an interactive scripture based curriculum. You can access online
(12:44):
or through the mobile app. Sign up now at Tonyevans
Training dot org. Take a course with doctor Evans and
explore the Kingdom anytime, anywhere Tonyevans Training dot org.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Look at Joel two where he brings up this this
whole concept of fasting in prayer and how we are
to relate to God verse twelve, and even now declares
the Lord return to me with all your heart and
with fasting, weeping and mourning. It's a very serious time.
(13:19):
And rent your heart, not your garments, and return to
the Lord. For he is gracious and compassion. And watch
this compassion is slow to anger, abounding and loving kindness,
relenting of evil. He's ready to change negative to positive
at a moment's notice. Who knows whether he will turn
and relent and leave a blessing behind. He will not
only turn things around, he'll leaves some extra behind, he says,
(13:42):
and verse fifteen below the trumpet and Zion consecrate a fast, proclaim,
a solemn assembly, a very serious gathering of God's people
to get God's attention. The question is how bad do
you want it? How bad do you want it? How
(14:02):
bad do you want deliverance from alcoholism? How bad do
you want deliverance from drugs? How bad do you want
to save your marriage? Do you want it bad enough
to give up dinner? Do you want it bad enough
to give up other gratifications? Do you want it bad
enough to throw yourself flush before God and say I can't?
Speaker 3 (14:23):
You must?
Speaker 1 (14:24):
And when I began to look at all the scriptures
that talked about what happened when people fasted, I saw
that this is not some little extraditty that you do.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
This is a powerful thing when your world.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
Is closing in. And so it's prayer, it's praise, it's proclamation,
it's hearing God's word.
Speaker 3 (14:48):
So what can I expect if I fast?
Speaker 1 (14:51):
If I develop this as my response mechanism to crisis? Well,
let's finally again look at Isaiah fifty eight, and he says,
in closing these words verse six, is it not the
fast which I choose to watch? This? I said at
fifty eighty six, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to
(15:11):
undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the
oppress go free, and to break every yoke, every addiction,
every oppression.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Stuff you can't shake, he says. Is this not why
you fast?
Speaker 1 (15:28):
That I might break the stuff that you haven't broken yet,
That I might deliver you from the stuff that nobody
has been able to help you to be delivered from.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Have you tried me this way? He says.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
If you haven't tried this, you haven't been to the
right program yet.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
I am the program. Look, I'm gonna save some of
you some money this.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Week, because when God breaks through and it doesn't cost
you anything, you know it's God freedom from bundan captivity.
And so many of us are being held captive by
things or other people or circumstances. We're just locked in
(16:09):
and we live with spiritual handcuffs on praising the Lord.
Some of us can't raise their hands come of by handcuffs.
We're handcuffed. And we know that when we walk out
of church, we're going straight for that addiction, straight for
that bond. Is because because Satan has got handcuffs on
Satan owns. He knows when we wake up in the morning.
(16:31):
All they got to do is bring the thought across
our minds, and he got bang, bang, Wow. Some of
us can't dance because we got bonds on our feet
and we can't walk, We can't move, We can't praise
him right because Satan, as soon as we wake up
in the morning, he brings that thought to our minds
and he locks our feet down, chains around our minds.
(16:54):
The Bible calls them strongholds where God holds you oppressed
in your mind, and you get up depressed, can hardly.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Get out of bed.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Because Sayan has got a vice scrip around your mind.
God says, have you fasted yet? He says, is this
not why you fast? That you might be loose from
all of this?
Speaker 3 (17:13):
Verse seven?
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
and to bring the homeless pour into the house, And
when you see the neked, to cover him, and not
to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
This is deep. Look, you can't.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Divide your bread unless you have bread to divide, right.
You can't bring homeless into the house unless you have house.
You can't clothe the necket unless you have clothing to
give them, and I like this last one. And not
to hide yourself from your own flesh. Some of you
running from your own family. Don't want to see your
(17:48):
own people. Can't stand and look at each other, can't
stand and live with each other. Don't want these kids
to come home, don't want your husband to come home.
To hide yourself from your own flesh, he says. Have
you fast, he said, because if you're fast, I can
bless your business so that you have bread the shell.
I can get you a nicer home so that you
have a homeless shell. Please notice he's only interested in
(18:10):
blessing you if you're going to be a conduit to
others and you're not just gonna keep it all for yourself.
He'd not mind blessing you as long as he can
even use the blessing. But if he blesses you and
he can't touch it, and none of God's people can
touch it, it can never be available to the Kingdom
of God. Then that's not the fast he's interested in.
Since is it not to change your circumstances so you
(18:33):
can help others, and to give you a better environment
so that you don't have to hide from your own
relevance verse eight. And then your light will break out
like the dawn.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Oh, I like this.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Then the butterfly will come out of the cocoon of
the caterpillar. Then all this stuff God gave you. See,
we've been giving all these prugial resources. We've been seated
in heavenly places and we don't even know where the
chair is. We've been positioned next to Jesus Christ and
we don't know where to Why all that is, you
know why? Because this light has been stuffled in the flesh.
(19:05):
The flesh are so dominant the light doesn't break through.
But he says, you starve the flesh. What happens when
you starve the flesh? You shrink, right, you shrink. Flesh
gets weak. I'm gonna tell you now, if you're going faster,
especially if you're faster more than.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
One meal, you gonna get weak. And that's wonderful. Why
is it wonderful to get weak? Because now the flesh
can't buck up like it used to. See.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
See, when you keep the flesh straw, it can buck off.
And every time the spirit says, let's go serve God,
flesh say we ain't going nowhere. I'm running this show
I'm in charge here.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Let's eat.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
But once the flesh starts to get weak, and you
can't move fast as you normally move.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
And you can't you can't act.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
The spirits are gonna say, let's break out of here,
and the flesh gonna say, I can't stop him. I'm
too weak. For in our weakness, we are strong. Paul says.
When we become weak, then we become strong because now
we're fee the spirit. The flesh is getting weaker.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
That's a good.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Thing because it can't resist you as strongly, and your
recovery will speedily come forth. Somebody need healing. You know
why some of us are not getting body healing because
we have two weak souls, and a lot of our
bodily problems are related to weakness of soul, he said.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
Strengthen your soul, and your healing.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Will spring forth, and your righteousness will go before you.
You'll get back your testimony and not like Versus in
the verse eight. And the glory of the Lord will
be your rear. God, I will protect you. I'll cover
your back, your rear God, that's your back. I have
your back. And everybody wants somebody covering their back. God says, I.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Got your back.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
I got your back at work, I got your back
at home, I got your back at play, I got
your back.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
You mean I can get all this from fasting, yep.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Or if he doesn't give you that, he gives you
something better than that. The bottom line is verse nine.
Then you will call, and the Lord lands that's.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
The bottom line. Then you will call.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
You say, but I've been calling all the time, but
not with the fast and if it's a crisis, God
wants to be treated seriously. Since nineteen thirty seven, planes
have been pressurized so that they can fly above the clouds.
It is this pressure that allows them to go up
(21:28):
thirty and thirty five thousand feet and you still survive.
You see, Before then they had to fly low underneath
the clouds so that they would still be in the
atmosphere so.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
That we could breathe. But once they pressurize the planes,
the planes.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Could go higher and higher and higher because the inside
of the plane is pressurized and holds the oxygen, so
we can keep breathing.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Even up there where the air is thin.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
You ain't praying with me. Listen when you start this
fastening prayer, I'm gonna tell you. What's gonna happen That
Satan and all of his menion is gonna line up
at cloud level and gonna keep you, try to keep
you below the clouds. They gonna say, let's not mean,
let's make sure that they don't get high. Let's make
sure that they don't get up here close to the
throne of God. He's gonna do everything he can to
(22:22):
keep you below the cloud level.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
But if you.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Fast and throw yourself on the mercy of God, you're
gonna break the clouds. You say, but how cannot make
it up there? Because when you're fast, he pressurizes your
soul so you can make it up there in heavenly
places where God's blessings are, where God's power is. For
you have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings, but
they're located above the clouds that are located in heavenly places.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Don't let Satan keep you on the ground.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It's time to fly by pressurizing the soul so that
the flesh is now under your control and you're not
under its.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Doctor Tony Evans with a biblical examination today on the
importance of fasting. Now. As I mentioned earlier, Today's lesson
is the first installment in a series called Fasting the
Key to Spiritual Victory and Don't Forget. For a limited time,
we're offering the full length version of all fourteen lessons
in this series on CD or digital download, along with
(23:27):
our Cultivating a Year of Kindness perpetual flip calendar that'll
help challenge and inspire you to practice a life of
contagious kindness. They're both yours as our thank you gift
when you make a donation to help us continue this
ministry to a world desperately in need of more Kingdom believers,
people who embrace the love of God and live their
(23:49):
lives for good, not just for their own benefit. Call
us to make arrangements at one eight hundred eight hundred
thirty two twenty two. Our resource center never closes, so
you can call us any time of the day or night.
That's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two,
Or visit Tonyevans dot org to take advantage of this
(24:10):
special package. You'll find the details right on the homepage. Again,
that's Tonyevans dot org. Most of us understand that God
has the power to deliver us, but when we're caught
in a difficult situation or circumstance, we sometimes wonder if
he'll actually do it, be sure to join us next time.
(24:31):
As doctor Evans talks about how we can grow our
faith to fully trust in God's deliverance,
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